This Week Around The Web

Being productive, making resolutions stick, choosing the best resolution, free stuff and money and woodpeckers.

The Dollar Stretcher — Considering it’s New Year’s Day, we’ll review a few money-related resolutions. If you’re still undecided, these posts may help you select a winner. One warning, don’t make your resolution unrealistic. That only leads to failure, and that doesn’t help anyone.

We start with Brianna. She says “many people are realizing that productivity is the key to success.” She provides nine tips that will help increase your productivity — and maybe earn you more money. The second one is “Keep a ‘to do’ List.” This way you can check off your completed tasks and keep plugging away until your jobs are finished.

Engineer Your Finances — Considering so many resolutions fail, this post by Renee is helpful. She provides three money-focused resolutions and then explains how you can make them work for the long haul.

The first one is: “Putting More Money into Savings.” That’s easier said than done. It seems like some emergency always pops up and erases that money. She says automate those savings. If the money is automatically removed from your paycheck you’ll never miss it. Check out her other great ideas.

See Debt Run — The best financial resolution is the one that will work for you. With that said, Sarah comes up with five ideas. The first is “save more money.” You can use Renee’s idea from the previous post and automate your savings, making that money “out of sight, out of mind.”

The third resolution is spend less money. Retail stores are always inventing new tricks that make you spend more money. Combat that by using Sarah’s advice — and by disciplining yourself. We live in society that encourages spending. You can break that financially damaging cycle this year.

Money Talks News — Free stuff is always great. Stacy provides a comprehensive look into three areas where you can save money. The second one is getting your credit score for free. Some people mix up their credit report, which is their credit history, with their credit score. As he says, you can get a free credit history once a year from AnnualCreditReport.com.

But your credit score isn’t always free. You can get it at FICO for $19.95. But why pay? Some banks now offer your credit score for free. If your bank doesn’t, Stacy recommends Credit Sesame. You don’t have to provide a credit card number with them. Review his other money saving perks.

Five Cent Nickel — Money worries are something that plague most people. They plague Richard and so do woodpeckers. He lives “in a wooden house in a semi-rural area”, and the wood attracts the birds. The constant pecking on the walls remind him of how money issues keep pecking away at people.

He lists four money worries that stress people out, and then provides advice on how you can ease those worries. The fourth one is: “Lack of retirement saving.” People don’t know how much retirement savings they should have. He says, many people also don’t want to sacrifice their present lifestyle for the future. If you don’t sacrifice some, the pecking will continue.